Afloat on the Briny Sea
by EternalWaltz
Summary: When Raichi is hired as a crewman of the Seido ship, Eijun feels obligated to show him the ropes. DnA Sailor AU.


**Afloat on the Briny Sea**

**Disclaimer: Diamond no Ace does not belong to me, and I am in no way associated with the franchise. I don't own any of the characters, settings, etc.**

I.

Sawamura Eijun was not prepared for the hurricane hurtling its way towards him. Unkempt hair billowing in the salty humid air, eyes glowing with anticipation, Todoroki Raichi was incoming.

Bare heels kicking up the loose dirt in his wake, he quickly covered the last stretch of land before skidding to a stop in the abandoned school playground. It was a derelict place, void of children, but still had some worn equipment. Eijun deemed it a suitable meeting place, especially for how Raichi would react given the news. Raichi padded the last few steps toward his friend.

"So?" He grinned. He didn't seem in the least bit winded. In fact, he was even more fired up, cracking his knuckles and leaping towards the monkey bars. Promptly hanging down from one of the middle rungs, he sighed as the blood rushed to his head. "Did I get the job?"

Eijun, who was plopped on a swing, took his time answering , kicking a few times to gain momentum. "Well," he began casually, inclining his head. "I almost didn't believe it, but..." Eijun grinned. "You're hired! I put in a good word for you, so Captain Kataoka said that you could join this voyage!"

Raichi promptly fell off the monkey bars.

"Really?!" Ignoring the obvious bruise to his head, Raichi scrambled towards the swing set, hopping on another aged seat so he could continue to speak to his friend.

Eijun chirped back, "Yup!" It was somewhat difficult to carry on a conversation when the person next you has literally already become a human-shaped blur, but Eijun was confident that Raichi could hear him. He continued. "I mean, I got all of your letters during our stopovers, saying that you wanted to sail too-and I told the crew all about you. We have the same education too, so Captain said it would be alright." Raichi was silent, his face in a seemingly perpetual giddy expression. Steadfastly absorbing the information, he continued to swing back and forth at an unparalleled speed. Eijun kept going. "I think you'll like the crew. The older members have only been there for a year or two more, but they still have way too much attitude. But I guess they still care, in a tough kind of way. Oh, and there are people our age too! Harucchi, and Furuya, though Furuya doesn't always look that excited to see you." By now Raichi was giving him a puzzled look. Eijun revised his statement. "But they're really good people. You'll fit right in."

Raichi felt more reassured. For all the things his best friend was, he was never a liar.

"But I don't think you have to worry about getting chummy with them just yet. For your first week, you just need to learn the ropes- your way around, what you can do, and whatnot. Okay?"

By now, Raichi had slowed down, exhaling heavily. He nodded.

"So, you should start packing, and there's a uniform fitting this coming Wednesday-"

"Eijun?" The interruption was quiet, and uncharacteristic of the rambunctious teen. Eijun was caught off guard.

"Yeah?" Raichi flopped uncomfortably on the swing. "Thanks for this. You know the money situation for my old man and I has been a little tight lately..." He trailed off awkwardly.

Eijun roughly clapped him on the back, and Raichi would've catapulted off the swing if not for his quick reflexes. "You know it's no problem! We've been friends for a while now, right? Of course I have your back."

Raichi brightened exponentially from his solemn aura, and place a hand on his childhood friend's shoulder. "You're the best." Standing up triumphantly, Raichi cackled his signature laugh. He was ecstatic to begin.

II.

Eijun plopped down, fatigue seeping into his bones. He had spent the afternoon helping haul the cargo to the hull. The exports from this town were mostly textiles, but they were exponentially heavier than he had expected. He also helped lug the rations to the pantry, and they were almost merciful in comparison. Of course, that was excluding the barrels of dry rice.

Eijun still remembered the stern reprimands of his crew whenever he made a mistake, and he cringed thinking about each blunder.

Flexing his hands, Eijun examined the recent couple of splinters, reminiscing a bit. At least there weren't as many as when he'd first been assigned to the loading process. He was getting used to it.

Eijun suddenly cocooned himself in his thin blanket and buried his face in his pillow, inhaling. Allowing his mind to wander, he thought of his ecstatic friend. Eijun knew that Raichi was actually quite sensitive, and he didn't want him feeling lost or lonely. He resolved to make him feel right at home when he arrived. Daydreaming about being able to work with all of his friends, he began swaying to a drowsy lull, in rhythm with the bobs of the sea.

When Haruichi and Furuya returned to their cabin room after doing their share, they didn't have the heart to wake him. In fact, he appeared so snug and comfortably asleep, that they decided to let him sleep through dinner. Haruichi, that is. Furuya couldn't care less. When Eijun awoke, it was to a voice. The ebbs of his consciousness flickered a bit as he floated in a bleary state of wavering awareness. Then he heard it again. Someone was whispering...his name?

Eijun's eyes snapped open. He thought he heard it from the ladder of his bunk bed. He detected light tapping noises as swift feet made their way up the last few rungs. Eijun had tried to swivel himself to catch a glimpse of his intruder, but he was too late.

By now they had made themselves comfortable, the wooden bed frame lurching in protest as they bounced around the top bunk. Gulping, Eijun decided to take action, and warily grabbed the baseball bat he'd hidden under his bed. He'd played in high school. They shouldn't cross him, for their own good. Even if all he could do back then was bunt.

Eijun rolled his shoulder, preparing for a confrontation as the top guardrail began to creak. The intruder was leaning over the edge, descending closer. All Eijun could see in the poor lighting was the sparkle of a diabolic grin. He resisted the urge to shriek as he sat up, with a reflex that would've made his crewmates proud. Clutching his weapon closer, he subtly tensed, his teeth gritted. Finally peering down at him at the same eye level, the figure paused upon seeing his stance.

Silhouetted by the inconsistent glow of the dim candlelight, he burst into raucous laughter. A flip switched in Eijun's head, as he suddenly recognized the intruder's identity. Going slack, he frowned. Pointing a finger accusingly, he chastised his friend as he flushed red.

"Raichi! Why are you sneaking up on me?! You could've been a man-eating monster for all I knew..." Eijun continued to splutter, more out of embarrassment than anything.

Raichi- still hanging upside down- waved a hand dismissively and tossed his head back in self-satisfaction, only to quickly right himself from tipping over the edge. "Yeah, sorry about that Eijun." He snickered, gesturing to the weapon his friend was wielding. "Nice bat, by the way."

Eijun immediately dropped the accused item, flushing brighter. "Shut it! You played in high school too!" Raichi allowed himself to fall, landing neatly on the bottom bunk. "Yup," he agreed in a singsong voice. "And I was always the one to score a home run-"

Eijun shushed him. "But really, what are you doing here already? I know this is your room too now, but you were supposed to be hauling the extra supplies."

Raichi beamed proudly. "I already finished a few hours ago. And I still have energy to spare! I don't know why you're sleeping; it was super easy-"

Eijun lunged at him, only to swat empty air. "Get back here," he hollered to the retreating intruder.

Raichi was already chuckling, halfway out the door. He didn't miss the opportunity to stick out his tongue, as a wild goose chase commenced.

III.

After shuffling into the mess hall with his roommates, Eijun squinted against the sunlight blaring from the windows. It illuminated the dusty interior of the lofty room, and quite frankly gave Eijun a headache. Adding to his irritation was the boisterous nature of his crew. They were chattering amiably, as always. Had it been any other morning, Eijun would've been bouncing around the room. But not today.

He grabbed a tray from the stack, lethargically making his way through the breakfast line. He yawned, eyes bloodshot.

"So, Eijun-kun." Haruichi was the first to initiate conversation. "You weren't in our cabin room yesterday night, and you look really terrible today. Did something happen?"

"Well," Eijun reasoned as he shuffled further down the line, accepting a scoop of rice. "First, someone broke into our room and tried to kill me. Then, I had to chase them down to make sure they didn't scare anybody else."

Haruichi hummed in sympathy. He was mildly concerned, but if Eijun was still walking and talking today, he guessed that his encounter wasn't severely dangerous. "Well, at least you were brave enough to chase them away. Right, Furuya-kun?" Haruichi nudged the dazed teen on his other side, who had been looking forward with a dazed look on his face.

"Huh," he responded, blinking. "Oh, right. Maybe his stupidity scared them away," he supplied quietly.

Eijun was miffed. "Why did you say that a statement, Furuya?!"

The latter shrugged as the three made their way out of the line. Walking to their usual table, Haruichi coughed politely before pulling the two apart from a potential fight. How he did this with his tray still secure in his hands; no one was quite sure.

"Anyways," Haruichi continued, deciding to humor his overzealous friend. "You said they tried to kill you?"

"Well, umm..." Eijun wasn't sure how to bring up the "incident" without mentioning how pitifully he'd acted. The three sat quietly, in anticipation.

"...That's very frightening," Furuya commented dryly.

Eijun visibly deflated. "Just- just forget I said anything. But keep an eye on our new roommate, Raichi. I wouldn't mess with him."

Haruichi smiled. "Duly noted," he iterated. "By the way," Haruichi trailed off. "Where is Todoroki-kun? It doesn't look like he's here."

Eijun whipped around, swiveling on the bench. Shocked to find no trace of the eccentric boy, he surveyed the area once again. "He's really not here!" Feeling responsible, Eijun hopped up and hurriedly prepared to leave. He was talking to himself. "Raichi would never miss a meal. Who knows what sort of trouble he's gotten himself into now," he mumbled, clearing his tray. Suddenly, he clapped a hand to his face. "But what if he fell off the boat and got eaten-" Cutting himself off, Eijun quickly made his way to the door.

Once he was gone, Haruichi turned to Furuya. "Cute how he feels so protective about his friend," he mused. Furuya merely scoffed in reply.

Eijun scoured his brain for where he'd last seen Raichi, but couldn't remember anything useful. Thus, he was reduced to searching every hallway and room he could find. His voice echoed loudly as he threw open door after door, calling his friend's name. When he'd plowed through all of the living quarters- even the captain's room, just to make sure- Eijun descended to the lower level where the supplies were kept.

He would head to the stokehold and engine room as a last resort. Bewildered, and hoping that Raichi hadn't locked himself in a storage crate, he frantically continued to search.

Eventually he peeked his head in the pantry, and mentally slapped himself for not thinking of it earlier. Where there was food, there was Raichi. And sure enough, the culprit was there.

Snuggled comfortably in the crevice between two barrels of rice, he napped peacefully. Eijun sighed, reprimanding himself for even bothering to worry. He stepped closer, bending down and poking Raichi with his shoe. "Raichi! Oi, sleepyhead! You're drooling on yourself, you know.." Eijun gave up and shook him by the shoulders. "Hey! Get up!"

Raichi shot awake, alarmed. Eyes wide, he stood up swiftly, until he noticed Eijun in front of him and relaxed. "Eijun!" Raichi grinned. "What's the matter? You look kind of dead."

Eijun wanted to pull his hair out. "I've had a long morning," he managed as civilly as one could, when in truth he wanted to test out Kuramochi-san's moves on the oblivious boy. "Why are you in the pantry? You know that you're roombuddies with Harucchi, Furuya, and me, right?"

Raichi scratched his head. "Huh. I must've forgot. Anyways, I got a little lost during our chase, so I kind of panicked and ran around even more. But eventually, I ended up here, so I figured-why not? Free food is free food, and I only ate my share. I knew I would miss breakfast, but I thought someone would find me eventually. Plus," he reasoned, burrowing further into his makeshift corner, "it's cozy."

Eijun was shocked. "'A little lost'? This is really far from our rooms! And your excuse is that 'it's cozy'?! Raichi shifted, and only now did Eijun realize that he was surrounded by a bed of banana peels. He resisted to urge to slap him with one.

IV.

"And this...is what I do!" With an over-exaggerated flourish of his arms, Eijun gestured at the wide expanse.

Raichi blinked, scrutinizing his display and thinking hard. "Nothing?" His hesitant guess was accompanied by a timid scratch to his forehead.

Eijun was exasperated. "No! I sweep the deck! Can't you see how shiny it is?" Raichi bent down, squinting. "...It looks like a normal floor to me."

Eijun shook his head. "Well, you're going to be helping me today."

Raichi visibly brightened.

"And I'm going to be using my special broom. See, it even has my name on it!" With even more pride than before, Eijun withdrew his broom and handed it to Raichi, who examined the careful engraving on the handle.

"So, you named your broom after yourself? That's kind of conceited." Raichi's bluntness stung. "No! It's just to show that I own it!" Raichi shrugged, handing the prized possession back to Eijun. Picking up his own broom, he looked at it thoughtfully. Suddenly, he whipped out his pocket knife, and Eijun nearly shrieked for fear that Raichi had snapped and would try to attack him. But his companion merely bent down, and whittled a few quick strokes onto the wood of the handle. Glancing up, he grinned triumphantly. "Then this broom can be mine! There's a picture of me eating bananas on it!"

Indignant, Eijun grabbed the broom from him and admired Raichi's handiwork. Despite the crude canvas he'd had to work with, Raichi seemed to be quite good with a knife- and drawing too, for that matter. Taking a few more moments to speculate the chibi version of his friend, grinning at him from a broom handle of all things, he smirked. "I wonder who's the better artist, Raichi," he challenged. Not willing to be outdone, Eijun pulled out his own pocket knife and began carving things on his own.

Eijun drew anything that came to mind: baseballs, fish, beetles, et cetera. Raichi etched every food that he wanted to eat at the moment. They both stood hunched, furiously engraving, until both of their handles were chock full. Seeing as neither of them were terribly untalented, or had finished faster, they regretfully put away their pocket knives.

Albeit a bit stiffly, Eijun cleared his throat in an effort to dissipate some of the tension in the atmosphere. This was one of the setbacks of two overly competitive, obstinate people becoming friends. But after Eijun had been crossing his arms stiffly and Raichi had pouted for just under a minute, they shook it off. Neither was the type to stay upset for long.

"So," Raichi began, and by the usual lighthearted mischief in his tone Eijun knew everything was alright. "Are you ready to be outdone at your own job?"

Eijun looked thunderstruck at the possibility, then laughed. "As if that'll ever happen." Clapping his hands together, he decided they just maybe should get to work, and issued orders. "Alright, I'll take the port side, and you'll take the starboard side. Okay?"

Raichi nodded, and they retreated to the respective left and right sides of the vessel. Minutes later, rough bristles furiously buffed the hardwood surface of the deck as the two sprung up clouds of dust in their path. They were so engrossed in their work that they nearly bulldozed over many of their fellow crewmates. Some of the irritated almost-victims of the pair took the time to offer encouragement.

First Mate Yuuki was the most subtle. Clearing his throat lightly after suddenly emerging from a suffocating haze of dust, he spoke. "If you two are trying to impress Captain Kataoka with your cleaning skills, I'd suggest doing so with equipment that you didn't vandalize." Yuuki eyed their brooms suspiciously.

Eijun squeaked, dropping his broom to kneel on the floor and beg for forgiveness. Raichi followed his example.

Second Mate Isashiki was more direct. Lips bared in a wicked grin, he threatened, "I'll only allow three specks of dust to remain on this deck, you ship rats." Crossing his arms proudly, he declared, "If there's any more I'll personally chuck you two into the ocean."

They collectively gulped, but saluted anyway. Raichi's face seemed stuck in a cliché open-mouthed horror look, that Eijun would've normally laughed at, had he not been equally terrified.

Eijun wondered of the worst truly was for last, as the third mate Miyuki entered the fray. He cackled watching them. "That's right, newbies! Sweep that deck as if your life depended on it! I better be able to see my reflection on the ground by the time you two are done. I should be able to laugh at people tripping over their own feet, because the floor will be that clean." Eijun huffed, but Miyuki ignored him, yawning. "Unless you can't do it."

Now that fired Eijun up. "Shut up, Miyuki!" He puffed out his chest. "And I'm not a newbie! I've been here for six months!"

Raichi had been silent during the exchange, carefully observing the irritating stranger who had so much popular acclaim. Miyuki laughed, making a snarky comment about Eijun's whining before the two returned to work.

In the end, the sweeping took twice as long as all the bickering that ensued. But when Eijun and Raichi were finished, the deck seemed to have the same friction as walking on glass. Reflections could be seen, and the less graceful crew members were skidding about aimlessly.

Raichi had found something else interesting, however. "They're much different in real life- those crew members that were teasing us." Eijun snorted, recalling the episodes of the day.

"Yeah, most of these people are pretty famous in their home towns as big shots, and of course they have the skills to back it up. But it's crazy how...human they can be when you get to know them. Once you understand how their humor, sarcasm, attitudes- it'll feel like you've known this group of people for a long time, even when you haven't."

Raichi laughed breathlessly. "And here I was afraid I'd have to put up with a bunch of boring perfect people. I guess they're actually pretty okay."

Eijun snorted along with him. "Not in a million years," he muttered darkly.

"So, just checking," said Raichi, twiddling his thumbs. "They don't really follow through with their threats, right? Like, Isashiki-san isn't really going to throw us into the ocean." Raichi looked up, a shadow of his earlier fear ghosting across his face.

Eijun chuckled, ruffling his friend's messy hair. "Don't worry, Raichi. That's also just the way they are. They'll tease you, and call you names, and invade your privacy. They'll also embarrass you at every chance- like the fact that Miyuki still hasn't let me live down the cannonball incident. But they're reliable, and more than capable."

Raichi nodded wistfully, then suddenly adopted a wide-eyed, awed expression in his face.

"What," Eijun asked. "For a second there, you sounded really smart, Eijun. But only for a second."

Eijun fumed. "Why you...like you're one to talk. If Isashiki-san really did throw you into the ocean, it would be no problem. Your head's so full of air that you'd just float!"

Raichi brushed it off, laughing. He could get used to his eccentric crewmates.

V.

Eijun and Raichi were sitting crosslegged on the cabin room floor, gritting their teeth as they attempted to sew. "Oww! That's the tenth time I pricked my finger!" Raichi lapped remorsefully at his wounds, and Eijun was reduced to blowing on his cuts. The thick cotton canvas lay haphazardly sprawled across their laps as they worked.

They'd been excited when they heard that the captain had a task for them. But when he gave them an armload of cloth, they were dumbfounded, and quickly became crestfallen. 'Mend the sails,' he'd said.

After dutifully retreating to their room, they'd stared hesitantly at their materials. The sail had a grainy texture, and was somewhat stiff with sun exposure. Upon further inspection, they'd seen a missing chunk of fabric near the center.

"Do you think," Raichi had begun excitedly, that it's a battle scar? Maybe a long time ago, an evil pirate challenged the ship, and the sails were damaged in the epic clash."

Eijun snickered. "Yeah right, Raichi. As if anyone would be stupid enough to challenge a ship this famous."

Thousands of miles away, Narumiya Mei sneezed.

"I bet someone just tripped while they were carrying it, and accidentally tore it."

Raichi pondered the thought. "I guess so," he conceded. "But that's kind of lame."

Rummaging further through the stack of supplies they'd been given, Eijun found an ample swatch of bleach white canvas that they were to use to patch the hole. He also fished out several pins, two needles, two spools of thread, and two thimbles. Setting everything down, they cleared their workspace and sat awkwardly.

Eijun began, aligning the sail and patch to stick pins through near the border. Raichi strung his needle through the thread, fumbling at the delicate process. Eijun followed, sliding a thimble onto his thumb. Making hesitant knots under the fabric, they'd began stitching with difficulty. And now here they were.

"Have you ever sewed before?" Raichi stared at Eijun's stitching distastefully. "Because you seem just as bad as I am."

Eijun stiffened. Was it that obvious? Deciding not to dodge the question, he admitted, "Yeah."

Raichi smirked. "Thought so." He hissed as he stabbed his finger again. Muttering something about needing a thimble for each finger, Raichi asked a question. "So? Why are we in charge of it this time?"

Eijun shifted from his sitting position, his legs had started to get numb. "The Kominatos usually take care of it," he conceded. "But Harucchi's keeping watch in the bird's nest, and onii-san is revising the cartography."

Raichi pretended to nod thoughtfully, but ultimately gave Eijun a blank stare. "So you know I'm not good with names. Remind me who those two are again?"

Not seeming surprised, Eijun answered in a heartbeat. "They're the only two on this boat with pink hair. They're pretty hard to miss. And Harucchi is our cabin mate." By now the air had long ceased to be punctuated by the clumsy rhythm of their sewing.

"Ah!" Raichi snapped his fingers. "He sleeps in the other bottom bunk, doesn't he?" Raichi looked triumphant.

Eijun laughed, rolling his shoulders. "Yup. They're both really good at sewing. Embroidery, too. So if you ever notice little designs on the curtains or tablecloths, that was probably what Harucchi did in his spare time. And whenever anyone needs their clothes mended, they go to him. If you ask nicely, he'll even embroider something personal of yours, like a pillow case."

Raichi opened his mouth as if to ask a question, and Eijun interrupted. "Actually, no. You're not allowed to ask him about your pillow case." Raichi was baffled. "Why not? You just said-"

"You'd probably tell him to stitch a banana tree, and suddenly be dragging your pillow around everywhere and hugging it." EIjun shuddered. "I don't even want to think to think about that." Raichi pouted, partially because Eijun was right.

"But seriously," Raichi inquired. "When you were talking about all the things...Haruichi did, you never mentioned the other Kominato. Does...the older one not mend stuff for people anymore, or something?"

Eijun laughed forcibly. "Oh, he does. He just always gets back at you to return the favor. It's normally by a one-sided game of truth or dare, an elaborate prank, or some other form of humiliation."

Raichi was sympathetic. "I see. And here I was just thinking Haruichi would be a good wife, until you mentioned the demonic older brother."

Eijun stiffened. "Don't even think about it."

Raichi burst out laughing. "What, does he jump people that-"

Eijun cleared his throat with finality. "Harucchi's mine."

...Raichi decided not to press the matter.

They were interrupted by a single sharp knock to the door, followed by the door slamming open. A gust of cool evening air was felt as Furuya burst into the quarters. He paused for a moment, clutching the doorknob in a slightly hunched fashion. He looked even paler than usual. Quickly regaining his composure, he looked critically at the scene before him.

Eijun and Raichi were trying to work, but were mostly arguing about blocking each other's light. Upon his arrival, they glanced up in panic, only to relax when they realized it was just him.

Furuya cleared his throat, impatient. He was somewhat insulted by the lack of respect, but brushed it off. "Excuse me," he said curtly. From him, the pleasantry sounded almost offensive. He advanced forward in the cramped space, long legs stepping over both of the two.

Eijun was going to complain about the looming shadow messing him up, put paused when he saw what Furuya was doing. He then turned back to his work. Furuya had been rummaging in his drawer for something. Raichi stared at him, surprised that his drawer seemed so messy.

After extracting what he needed- a small white pill tablet- he turned around abruptly. He made his way to the door just as quickly as before, but his knees seemed shaky. His stride was the barest hint inconsistent. As soon as Furuya firmly shut the door behind him, Eijun and Raichi could hear the echoes of urgent steps making their way to the side of the boat.

"I sure hope he makes it," Eijun mused.

"Makes what," Raichi asked.

Eijun waved his hand, indicating there wasn't a need to worry. "Oh, I hope he can take his medicine in time. Furuya has mild seasickness. It's nothing life threatening. But if he doesn't take his medicine as soon as he gets the warning symptoms, he'll get nauseous. That's why he ran to the edge just now, just in case."

Raichi nodded in sympathy, as they both listened carefully. Even after a few minutes, no sounds of heaving were heard.

"Good," Eijun chirped, relieved. "He's always so embarrassed otherwise."

Raichi, who had been getting restless the entire time, jumped up completely. Flexing his legs, he rolled his shoulders and pinwheeled his arms, allowing the canvas to drape over the ground heavily.

"Hey," Eijun complained, gesturing to Raichi's half-finished work. "We're almost done. Raichi plopped down and hugged his knees.

"But it's getting uncomfortable on the ground. Let's sit over here!" He sprang back up, bouncing on Eijun's bed.

Eijun gaped. "What if I get stabbed by needles while I'm trying to sleep?!"

Raichi cackled. "You'll be fine." Realizing that his protests would fall on deaf ears, Eijun reluctantly plodded over to his bunk, sitting gracelessly. It was much more comfortable than the floor, he had to admit. Ignoring his companion's fidgeting, he hunched over and continued to work. Raichi was going a diligent pace too, all things considered.

They did manage to finish the patch- although the sloppy, asymmetrical work left much to be desired. Eijun cringed looking over the finished product, and Raichi nervously chuckled. Eijun sighed. "I think we need this looked over by an expert. Come on. Harucchi's still in the crow's nest." They marched out regretfully.

When they arrived, Haruichi was, of course, stationed diligently at his post. Posture attentive and straight, he squinted off into the distance with the spyglass, periodically swiveling to check different angles.

Eijun grinned at his hardworking friend. "Hey! Harucchi," he called, allowing the wind to carry his naturally loud voice.

Alarmed, Haruichi quickly peered down. Smiling at his friend, he clicked the spyglass mechanism back into a small cylinder. Not wanting to be shouting back and forth this late at night, Haruichi nimbly slid down the ladder to the deck. He nodded to the visitors. "Eijun-kun. Todoroki-kun. What's wrong?"

Eijun gave him a pitiful look, eyes welling up in frustration, as Raichi bowed his head in shame. "We have a problem," Eijun confessed, glancing around to check that no one was listening.

Haruichi took the hint. He allowed himself to be ushered back to their cabin room, and when they finally locked the door they sighed in relief. "Tell me," Haruichi commanded.

Eijun fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. "Well," he replied, "Coach told us to mend a sail, and we did...and I'm pretty sure it's Raichi's bad luck or something because it looks terrible. Coach just might fire us for this one." Eijun reluctantly placed the fabric in Haruichi's patiently waiting hands. Raichi gulped as he unfolded it.

Haruichi bit his lip as he sized up the work, trying to hide his cringe. "Eijun-kun, Todoroki-kun, it looks like you guys worked really hard." The two brightened. "But," he said, "I think I'm going to change a few things- touch it up, maybe. What do you two think?" Eijun- who had already forced Raichi to kneel with him before their lifesaver- nodded with vigor. Haruichi smiled at them. He scooted them out the door. "Give me half an hour," he reassured as he closed it.

Thirty minutes later, Eijun was able to confirm his suspicions: Haruichi was some kind of magician. The captain was pleased with their work, needless to say. They were even assigned to the next task.

Eijun plopped on his bed that night, bewildered, only for a needle to poke him in the thigh.

VI.

Raichi was shaken from his haze shortly before the sun rose. Eijun was standing on the bottom bunk, elbows propped on the top guardrail. He yawned, running a hand through his surprisingly tame hair. "Up," he commanded, whacking Raichi firmly on the head. "We have the morning watch shift."

Raichi merely groaned and rolled over. Eijun shrugged, grabbing him by the leg and dragging him to the bunk ladder. Raichi's cries of protest were muffled in his pillow as he shook his head fervently, refusing to budge.

"Don't wake the others," Eijun hissed. "They're much less pleasant when they haven't had six and a half hours of sleep."

Raichi sat up slowly, reluctantly descending the ladder. He slid out of his pajamas and pulled on his uniform, as Eijun did the same. It was the standard design: a white t-shirt with rolled up sleeves, sapphire blue collar knotted loosely before the neck. Three red stripes bordered the collar. The cuffs of his sleeves and pant legs were adorned with yellow stripes.

Eijun watched him as he finished tugging his shirt over his head. "Ready," he asked. Taking Raichi's yawn as a yes, he said, "Let's go." They quietly slipped out the front door, closing it softly so not to disturb their roommates. A cool, salty breeze washed over them.

Raichi sneezed. "Are the seagulls even awake yet," Raichi mused. They staggered to the mast, gripping the lower rungs of the ladder.

Eijun glanced at the sky, mock-shielding his eyes with his left hand out of habit. "Yeah," he affirmed, perfect vision scrutinizing the sky. "No. They don't have jobs."

Raichi snorted, slightly more awake as he nimbly scaled upwards. "That's too bad. I wanted to see one."

Eijun chuckled. "Don't worry, Raichi. You can't miss 'em. They're the only creatures here that make more noise than you." Raichi tried to kick him off the ladder, only for Eijun to dodge with ease as they finally reached the top. Raichi scoffed, climbing into the crow's nest. Eijun followed.

Placing the spyglass securely in Raichi's hands, Eijun leaned over the edge of the short wall. "I think you know what to do. Just keep an eye out. Be on alert."

Raichi nodded, saluting. He extended the spyglass and put it to his eye, peering around rapidly.

"Raichi, if you keep spinning around like that, you'll get dizzy. And don't strain your eyes with too much of the spyglass, okay?" Raichi hesitantly calmed down, clicking the spyglass back into its portable state. But he still wanted to be aware of his surroundings. He examined the scenery. If so much as an evil parrot came, he would see it.

Wisps of fractured moonlight lit up the dusty periwinkle sky. The earliest hints of cloud cover painted pearly undertones among the fading stars. The sharp outline of the moon was growing fuzzy with the approaching morning. It seemed to be the time of night when a monochrome of violets were blotted on a canvas of ever-changing sky.

The sea was tame too. For miles and miles, all that Raichi could see was the tranquil aqua expanse. Ebony waves swirled with the promise of depth, as delicate foam collected on the crest of each wave. The tide had begun to recede, but each caress of the water was causing the boat to sway. Raichi found himself listening to the steady rhythm of the waves lapping against the hull. He exhaled peacefully.

But despite the view- there were no pirates, sea krakens, or evil spirits to be seen. Quite frankly, Raichi was bored. Eijun guffawed, and Raichi realized that he had voiced his complaint aloud. Chuckling in embarrassment, he bowed his head.

Eijun grinned. "That would be much cooler, if the captain let us carry swords, and we'd be the defenders of the ship. He made wild motions with his left arm, as if wielding a sword. Raichi joined him, until they both nearly toppled out of the crow's nest.

"Anyways," Eijun began, struggling to keep a straight face. "Even if you're bored, do a good job. Notice every detail; listen to every sound. Be like a ninja."Eijun scowled, remembering something that Miyuki had told him. "Actually, scratch that. A samurai; be like a samurai."

Raichi nodded diligently, turned around, and continued to survey the area.

Several minutes later, Eijun whacked him on the back. "One more thing. Don't eat on the job, I can hear you munching back there." Raichi gulped his mouthful of banana down guiltily, chipmunk cheeks deflating. He reluctantly crammed the rest of the banana in his mouth and put the peel with the rest of his hidden stash. Only moments later, he was chided again.

"Raichi, the whistling. You can save it for karaoke night tomorrow." Raichi was too dumbstruck at the thought to remember to be irritated. His pursed lips slackened, boisterous tune trailing off as soon as it had begun.

Just as Raichi was about to throw his arms up and ask exactly what he could do, he heard a noise. He peered down curiously. "Was that..."

Eijun seemed to have heard it too, but feigned nonchalance. As coolly as he could, he bargained, "Tell you what. If you need to stretch your legs that much, why don't you go on patrol rounds near the living quarters? I'll cover for you here; if someone notices you just say you investigating something. You can trust me to take care of things." He offered a reassuring grin.

Raichi snorted. He knew that Eijun just didn't want to check it himself. Some brave defender he was. But he was bored, so he descended to go check anyway.

As soon as Raichi was out of sight, Eijun chuckled. He'd gotten a good scare the first time he'd been on watch- it was only fair if Raichi was a little shaken up too. Maybe he'd been spending too much time with Ryousuke.

Lantern in hand, Raichi scoured the corridors around the cabin rooms. There it was again, a sharp thud that echoed through the halls. This time it was accompanied by a harsh crashing sound. Raichi curiously crept closer to its origin, padding down the wooden floorboards carefully. As he came closer to where he thought it had come from, he suddenly realized that he should've brought a weapon. This was karma for making fun of Eijun's baseball bat, wasn't it? Unarmed and a little afraid, he finally rounded the last corner and peered into the window of one of the rooms.

From this perspective, all he could see was a medium sized mirror, shattered and lying on the floor. Silver light glinted ominously off its jagged surface. It was almost as if the glassy sheen was beckoning him. Raichi gulped. He would rather not risk an encounter with otherworldly beings after all. "On second hand, let's not," he managed in a strained whisper, turning on his heel to take off down the hall.

Ryousuke didn't even have to sit up to assess the damage. "Stupid. You broke the mirror in your sleep again." Even half-asleep, his tone was biting. He threw a pillow at his roommate in irritation.

It hit him square in the face, as the victim recoiled and began to slowly come to his senses. He groggily sat up, rubbing his eyes with his forearm as he cracked a yawn. Still bleary with sleep, he opened his mouth to complain when he looked down and realized what happened. A curse slipping from his lips, he rolled out of his bed and squatted on the floor. He groaned.

Gathering the broken mirror in his hands, he frantically squinted at the splintered surface. The delicate shards of the surface were barely clinging to the round frame. Kuramochi tugged at his scalp in agitation. "That's the...third time," he mused, "So...twenty-one years of bad luck?! You've got to be kidding me! That's longer than I've been alive!"

Ryousuke shook his head condescendingly. "I keep telling you to move the nightstand somewhere else, or at least don't keep the mirror on top of it. You know that you kick at night- rather violently, might I add. Of course you're going to knock things over if you're not careful."

Kuramochi sighed. "At least it's better than last time, when I made the hole in the wall..." Ryousuke chuckled, ambling further into the comfort of his bed.

Raichi skidded to a stop, struggling to cool his head. He breathed heavily, more out of fright than exertion. He had paused in another unmarked hallway, as he glanced around to regain his bearings.

Looking down, he noticed something on the floor trailing from a nearby doorway. Squatting, he picked up the substance. Grains of rice? Of course! Raichi figured that he must be in front of the pantry. Lucky! He could grab a snack, retreat back, and forget that this ever happened.

Hand on the doorknob, he was just about to enter- when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flicker of movement through the pantry window. Squinting through the darkness, he couldn't be quite sure. But upon closer inspection, there was a shadow moving around in the other room. It was tall and looming, and seemed to be frantically rummaging around the food.

Raichi backed away slowly, until he hit a wall and sank to the floor slowly, hugging his knees. Was it worth sticking around for the food, or not? He chewed on his lower lip. Weighing his options, he was leaning more towards braving the dark, until he heard a gurgling noise.

Low and foreboding, the deep rumble could be heard through the walls. Raichi went pale in disbelief. Was that the grumbling stomach of...whatever was in there?!

Nope, it was not part of Raichi's plans to get eaten today. Most definitely not. Yet again, he beat quick a hasty retreat.

Masuko knew the way to the pantry like the back of his hand. He'd been there so many times in the daytime, in fact, that he had no problem finding it in the nighttime. Masuko would really rather not use a candle anyways- why would you waste supplies, and risk detection? So whenever a case of late night hunger cravings came around, Masuko found he couldn't sleep on an empty stomach. He'd carefully find his way to their food storage when everyone was asleep, and munch on just a little bit. He always kept a secret stash in the panty that he'd brought himself, so it wasn't like he was stealing food. After all of half an hour's work, he would quietly make his way back to the dorm room, and no one would be the wiser.

But on this particular night, Masuko sensed a presence outside the door. He panicked a little, he'd admit. Rushing around, he quickly stashed a few of his foodstuffs in his arms as he hoped they wouldn't find him. He sweated profusely, wondering if there was a punishment for being caught after hours. And just at the apex of his nervousness- his stomach betrayed him, grumbling loudly.

Masuko was certain he was done for. However, when he carefully glanced outside the door's window again, he saw no one. Dumbfounded, he wondered if the presence was just his imagination. Checking once again just to make sure, Masuko shrugged before sitting down to eat.

Raichi was mentally exhausted. He resolved to just make it back to the crow's nest, and quickly. Eijun was probably wondering what was taking so long, and Raichi didn't want to humor him. Steadying himself, Raichi walked as casually as he could back to the deck, trying to still the quiver in his fingers.

But when he was just a few corridors away from the open nighttime air, he detected a quiet rhythm of thumps on the floorboards. Footsteps. The metronomic pace advanced closer, rising to a crescendo in his ears. Raichi was almost certain he was beginning to hear the faint creaking of the floors, and finally light breathing.

Raichi didn't even give his pride a second thought. Shrieking, he clapped a hand to his mouth to quiet himself. And he ran.

First Mate Yuuki was quite surprised when he woke up standing in the hallway, to the sounds of muffled screaming. He blinked, looking himself and his surroundings over. Curious- there was no banshee in sight. Yuuki really needed to find medication for his sleepwalking. It must be getting worse, if he was waking up in odd places and hallucinating of screeching girls to boot.

When Raichi was finally back to his post, he was terrified and stoic, teeth chattering with stiff vigor. He started rocking back and forth wordlessly in the small space.

Eijun was mildly concerned. "Raichi? Are you okay? I heard you yelling from all the way up here."

Raichi merely latched onto his friend's leg.

"Uhh..." Not quite knowing what to make of the koala clinging to his leg, he opted to say, "Look! The sun's finally out!"

Raichi looked up warily, staring at the amber light framing the horizon. Squinting against the overbearing rays of gold, Raichi saw the fiery hues of tangerine splashed onto the sky, streaked with undertones of crimson. Daybreak was finally here, and with it came the palette of flavors from a summer peach orchard. Peeking out from behind the vibrant display were the translucent wisps of clouds. A sliver of pale blue was just beginning to creep out.

Raichi sighed in relief, finally standing up straight and gazing from the crow's nest. Spontaneous laughter erupted from his chest- pure, relentless laughter. This job was interesting, without a doubt. A challenge, maybe- but he was always up for that.

Eijun was alarmed at his friend's sudden outburst, but relaxed as he realized he had signed up for this- watching Raichi just being Raichi. He grinned.

"Say, Raichi, since you're back to normal, you want to know something?" Raichi tilted his head.

"I didn't want to tell you when it was still nighttime, because it might've freaked you out, but..." Raichi swallowed.

Eijun looked at him brightly. "Have you heard the ghost stories of this ship?"

Raichi had to sleep hugging a banana that night.

**A/N- Port and starboard are the left and right sides of a ship, if anyone was wondering. Well then...tell me what you guys thought? **


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